GSU's Motte leads the surge

He's a kid who loves cartoons, video games and knockdown blocks, not necessarily in that order.

And he's a kid who can't get enough fantasy. This year he's been to Disneyland in California twice and Disney World in Orlando once.

Favorite character?

Dumbo.

"He's a fat guy who can fly," Motte said. "It's just a dream. You can't beat that."

Not many defenders are beating Motte these days and that's not just a dream. He squats 575 pounds and benches 325.

But he also plays with flexibility. He's the biggest athlete on the team but can touch his toes and has a vertical jump of 29.5 inches.

"Chad isn't the strongest guy on the line but he bends his knees and plays low," GSU offensive line coach Brent Davis said.

Playing low has Motte among the top guards in Division I-AA. Last year he was a second-team All-America selection by The Associated Press and a first-team pick by The Sports Network.

The Eagles have won the Division I-AA team rushing title during all three of Motte's years.

And they're off to a good start this season. Southern piled up 474 rushing yards in the opener against Northeastern. A lot of it came on the inside. Fullback Jermaine Austin had 199 yards and a touchdown and earned the Southern Conference's Offensive Player of the Week.

"(Motte) came off the point rather well, particularly in tight situations," GSU coach Mike Sewak. "It was one of his better games."

Motte finished with a team-high 12 knockdown blocks against the Huskies and currently holds the team's knockdown title belt.

"It's a big, gold belt, something the coaches put together, and we're having a lot of fun with it," he said.

Football wasn't always a barrel of laughs for Motte. He played for Arab (Ala.) High which posted a 2-8 record during his freshman season, then went downhill. Arab lost 30 straight games during his last three years.

"The only reason why people came to our games was because it was a social event," Motte said. "The band was good. They won a lot of awards while I was there.

"Some times it seemed like (the football team) didn't get any respect from our students. We were a 6-A school, but only 40 dressed out. The band had 300. There were a couple of big guys playing tuba. We thought, 'Dang, he can help us.' "

The tune never seemed to change at Arab. Motte said his team often trailed by a touchdown after the kickoff. Arab lost several games by 70 points.

So Motte learned a lot about humility.

A year later, he said his life turned into a fairy tale.

He earned a scholarship to Georgia Southern after Eagle coaches saw him knocking down one defender after another during a passing drill in an Eagle youth summer football camp held in Statesboro.

"It's a great story," Davis said. "Here's a guy who didn't win in high school and now he's at one of the best college programs. He knows both sides of winning and losing."

Motte also knows about perseverance. During his sophomore year at GSU, he considered quitting. Even had the car packed and pointed out of Statesboro.

He thought he had good reasons. A hairline fracture in his foot turned the 2002 season into a struggle. Then his uncle, a father-figure in his life, died.

"I was getting down on myself," Motte said. "Things seemed to be going wrong all around me. I couldn't do anything right. But then it hit me (my teammates) were my brothers."

And when his grandmother questioned his manhood, Motte knew it was time to turn things around.

Motte says he never looks at the scoreboard. He's learned to keep the same intensity whether your team is up by 30 or down by 30.

"During the Arab days, I'd block someone, knock them down, look behind me and see the quarterback sacked in the backfield," Motte said. "Now you block and look up the field. Usually, Jermaine and Jayson (Foster) are 30 yards up the field still running."

"To me, it was like 'The Prince and the Pauper,'" Motte said. "I was a pauper and all of a sudden someone gave me a chance and I was in the elite."